Muscle contraction Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

What are skeletal muscles?

A

A type of muscle that you use to move

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What do tendons do?

A

Attach skeletal muscle to bones

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What do ligaments do?

A

Attach bone to bone

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is an antagonistic pair?

A

2 muscles that work together to move a bone

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is the agonist?

A

The muscle that contracts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is the antagonist?

A

The muscle that relaxes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What do neurones stimulate muscles to do?

A

Contract

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What are skeletal muscles made from?

A

Muscle fibres

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are muscle fibres?

A

Large bundles of cells that make up skeletal muscle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the sarcolemma?

A

The cell membrane of muscle fibres

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are transverse tubules?

A

Bits of the sarcolemma that fold inwards across the muscle fibre and stick into the sarcoplasm

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What do transverse tubules do?

A

Help to spread electrical impulses throughout the sarcoplasm so they reach all over

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is the sarcoplasmic reticulum?

A

A network of internal membranes that runes through the sarcoplasm

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What does the sarcoplasmic reticulum do?

A

Stores and releases calcium ions that are needed for muscle contraction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Name 2 features of skeletal muscle

A

Lots of mitochondria to provide ATP
Multinucleate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What are myofibrils?

A

Long cylindrical organelles that make up muscle fibres

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What do myofibrils do?

A

Specialised for contraction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What do myofibrils contain?

A

Bundles of thick and thin myofilaments that move past each other to make muscles contract

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What are thick myofilaments made from?

A

Myosin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What are thin myofilaments made from?

A

Actin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What do A bands contain?

A

Thick myosin filaments and some overlapping thin actin filaments

22
Q

What do I bands contain?

A

Only thin actin filaments

23
Q

What does the H zone contain?

A

Only myosin filaments

24
Q

What is the Z line?

A

End of each sarcomere

25
Q

What is the M line?

A

Middle of myosin filaments

26
Q

What are sarcomeres?

A

Short units that make up myofibrils

27
Q

Explain the sliding filament theory

A

Myosin and actin filaments slide over one another to make the sarcomeres contract. The simultaneous contraction of lots of sarcomeres means the myofibrils and muscle fibres contract.

28
Q

What happens to the sarcomere as it contracts?

A

It gets shorter

29
Q

What do myosin filaments contain?

A

Globular heads

30
Q

What do the globular heads do?

A

Are hinged so move back and forth

31
Q

Describe the structure of a myosin head

A

They have a binding site for actin and a binding site for ATP

32
Q

What do actin filaments contain?

A

Binding sites for myosin heads called actin myosin binding sites

33
Q

Where is tropomyosin found?

A

Between actin filaments

34
Q

What does tropomyosin do?

A

Helps myofilaments move past each other

35
Q

Explain the role of tropomyosin in resting muscles

A

Blocks the actin myosin binding site. This means that myofilaments can’t slide past each other because the myosin heads can’t bind to the actin myosin binding sites on the actin filaments

36
Q

What does an action potential from a motor neurone do to a muscle?

A

Stimulates the muscles cells
Depolarises the sarcolemma

37
Q

Where does the depolarisation spread to?

A

Down the T tubules to the sarcoplasmic reticulum

38
Q

What does the depolarisation cause?

A

The sarcoplasmic reticulum to release stored calcium ions into the reticulum

39
Q

What do the calcium ions do in muscle contraction?

A

Bind to a protein attached to tropomyosin causing the protein to change shape. This pulls the attached tropomyosin out of the actin myosin binding sites in the actin filament. This exposes the binding site which allows the myosin head to bond.
They also activate ATP hydrolase which hydrolyses ATP to provide the energy needed for muscle contraction.

40
Q

What is an actin myosin cross bridge?

A

The bond that is formed when a myosin head binds to an actin filament

41
Q

What does the energy released from ATP do in muscle contraction?

A

ATP causes the myosin head to bend which pulls the actin filament along in a rowing action .
It also provides the energy to break the actin myosin cross bridges so the myosin head detaches from the actin filament after it is moved.

42
Q

What happens after the myosin head detaches?

A

The myosin head reattaches to a different binding site further along the actin filament. A new actin myosin cross bridge is formed and the cycle is repeated.

43
Q

What causes the muscle to contract?

A

Cross bridges form and break rapidly pulling the actin filament along which shortens the sarcomere

44
Q

What needs to be present for the cycle of muscle contraction to be present?

A

Calcium ions

45
Q

What happens during muscle relaxation?

A
  1. When the muscle stops being stimulated, calcium ions leave their binding sites and are moved by active transport back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
  2. This causes the tropomyosin molecules to move back so they can block the actin myosin binding sites again.
  3. Muscles are not contracted as no myosin heads are attached to actin filaments.
  4. The actin filaments slide back to their relaxed position which lengthens the sarcomeres
46
Q

Name the 3 methods of ATP resynthesis

A

Aerobic respiration
Anaerobic respiration
ATP-PC system

47
Q

Explain aerobic respiration

A

Most ATP is generated via oxidative phosphorylation in the cell’s mitochondria.
It only works when there is oxygen so it is good for long periods of low intensity exercise

48
Q

Explain anaerobic respiration

A

ATP is made rapidly by glycolysis
The end product is pyruvate and is converted to lactase by lactate fermentation
Lactate can quickly build up in the muscles and cause muscle fatigue
Anaerobic respiration is good for short periods of high exercise

49
Q

Explain the ATP-PC system

A

ATP is made by phosphorylating ADP
PC is stored inside cells and the ATP-PC system generates ATP very quickly
PC runs out after a few seconds so it is used during short bursts of vigorous exercise
The ATP-PC system is anaerobic and alactic

50
Q

Describe slow twitch muscle fibres

A
  • contract slowly
  • muscles you use for posture
  • good for endurance athletes
  • can work for long periods of time without tiring
  • energy’s released slowly through aerobic respiration. Lots of mitochondria and blood vessels supply the muscles with oxygen
  • reddish in colour as they are rich in myoglobin
51
Q

Describe fast twitch muscle fibres

A
  • contract very quickly
  • muscles you use for fast movement
  • good for short bursts of speed and power
  • get tired very quickly
  • energy is released through anaerobic respiration using glycogen. There are few mitochondria or blood vessels
  • white in colour